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Have Rocket, Will Travel
| runtime = | country = United States | language = English | budget = $380,000 | gross = $2.5 million }} Have Rocket, Will Travel is a 1959 American science fiction comedy film starring The Three Stooges. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and new "third Stooge" Joe DeRita (dubbed "Curly Joe"). Released by Columbia Pictures, the feature was produced to capitalize on the comedy trio's late 1950s resurgence in popularity. Plot The Stooges are janitors working at a space center who accidentally blast off to Venus. They encounter a talking unicorn, a giant fire breathing tarantula, and an alien computer who has destroyed all life on the planet and creates three evil duplicates of the Stooges. When the boys return home triumphant, they are given a hero's welcome. Cast * Moe Howard - Moe/robot duplicate * Larry Fine - Larry/robot duplicate * Joe DeRita - Curly Joe/robot duplicate * Anna-Lisa - Dr. Ingrid Naarveg * Robert Colbert - Dr. Ted Benson * Jerome Cowan - Mr. Morse * Don Lamond - The Venusian Robot/Reporter/Narrator * Robert Stevenson - Voice of The Thingtz * Dal McKennon - Voice of Uni the Unicorn Production notes Have Rocket, Will Travel was Joe DeRita's inaugural screen appearance with the Stooges, having replaced Joe Besser after Columbia ceased production of the Stooges' shorts series. The title is a parody of the then-popular television show Have Gun, Will Travel. Filming was completed over 13 days on May 18-June 1, 1959.[http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/228 Have Rocket, Will Travel at threestooges.net] Although billed as such, it was not the first starring feature for The Three Stooges. That honor goes to Rockin' in the Rockies, the only starring feature made with the best known lineup of Moe, Larry and Curly. The trio had also starred in a 1951 film called Gold Raiders during the Shemp Howard era, and had also had supporting roles in several 1930s films when the trio was still affiliated with Ted Healy, including Dancing Lady with Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Robert Benchley and Fred Astaire. The space travel theme of Have Rocket, Will Travel was prevalent in the late 1950s. The Stooges had already filmed three shorts for Columbia revolving around this theme (Space Ship Sappy, Outer Space Jitters, Flying Saucer Daffy). They followed up with yet another space entry in 1962 with The Three Stooges in Orbit. Reception Box office Have Rocket, Will Travel was released on August 1, 1959, to mixed critical reviews but was a success at the box office. During its first five days of a multiple-theater engagement in Los Angeles, California, where it was double-billed with The Legend of Tom Dooley, the film grossed $127,000 ($ }} today). The film ultimately grossed over $2.5 million ($ }} today) for Columbia Pictures against a $380,000 budget ($ }} today). Critical response Moe Howard expressed his dislike for the film in 1973, stating "Didn't care much for Have Rocket, Will Travel. It was contrived a lot. The pies were dragged in at the tail end and not only that, the unicorn business and all that...ugh." Soundtrack The soundtrack was released in August 1959 by Colpix Records to coincide with the film's release. Released as a two-sided 45 rpm disc, the Stooges sing the film's theme song backed by vocal group The Tinglers. The title song was written by George Duning and Stanley Styne and arranged by Dennis Farnon. The album sold exceptionally well but did not enter the Top 40, due to Columbia Pictures giving the album minimal publicity. See also * List of American films of 1959 References External links * * * *[http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/228 Have Rocket, Will Travel at threestooges.net] Category:The Three Stooges films Category:1959 films Category:1950s comedy science fiction films Category:American films Category:American comedy science fiction films Category:English-language films Category:Films directed by David Lowell Rich Category:American black-and-white films Category:Films shot in Los Angeles Category:Columbia Pictures films Category:Films about unicorns Category:Films about extraterrestrial life